Sussex 200 and 399 for 7 (Montgomerie 50, Goodwin 102, Ambrose 60, Prior 92) drew with MCC 539 for 8 dec ScorecardSussex made sure that they didn’t start their year as champions with a defeat, batting solidly through the day at Lord’s until bad light brought about an early finish at 5pm to force a draw with MCC. By then Sussex were just about safe, 60 runs ahead with three wickets still remaining.Sussex’s batting heroes were Murray Goodwin, their stand-in captain, and the highly rated Matt Prior. Goodwin played attractively for 102, which included 18 fours and a six, while the Johannesburg-born Prior just missed out on his century, falling to Martin Saggers for 92. He hit 15 fours before becoming one of four victims behind the stumps for James Foster, whose century yesterday will have interested the selectors. There was also a breezy 60 for Tim Ambrose, Sussex’s own keeper/batsman.Saggers – he of the one Test appearance at Chittagong last October – was lively, and finished with 3 for 67, but MCC’s other bowlers proved a little expensive as the early-season cobwebs were dusted off. But all in all, the resumption of this fixture after 13 years was a success, despite the occasionally wintry weather.
Thursday, March 20, 2003::: “Indians were just not geared up for the big stage — right from Tendulkar downwards,” Indian spin great Bishan Singh Bedi Source: Mid-day “I don’t subscribe to the fact that we have taken the game to a new level. We can get better – no question – in every part of the game. If we sit back, we will do world cricket a disservice,” Australia’s coach John Buchanan Source: The Guardian, UK “India had a very good outing (sic) till the final, but unfortunately they squandered away a great opportunity by choosing to bat second,” former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar Source: The New Indian Express, India
Lymington are backing their three-pronged spin attack to hold the key to Wednesday’s (August 1) Southern Electric Contracting Cup final against Andover at the Hampshire Rose Bowl (5.45pm).The Premier League duo are likely to be using the same strip on which Hampshire beat Australia on Monday – and Lymington skipper Neil Trestrail reckons it could be tailor-made for his spinners.”The pitch assisted the spin bowlers on the last day – and I fancy that could be to our advantage.”I know we haven’t got anyone of Shane Warne’s class in our attack, but Dan Peacock, Glyn Treagus and Wayne Smith are all quality spinners – and I’m going to back them,” he said.Two players who can’t wait to get into tonight’s action are workmates Glyn Treagus and Sam Miller, Andover’s Australian all-rounder, who will be on opposite sides.The pair work together making cricket bats for Jon Hardy, who runs Chase Sports, near Basingstoke.And, according to Hardy, the former Hampshire left-hander, the pair haven’t stopped talking about the final for the past ten days.”There’a a pretty fair chance Glyn and Sam will bat and bowl against each other, so there’s an enormous amount of personal pride at stake.”The problem is one of them is going to finish a loser – and probably ask for Thursday off sick !” Hardy smiled.Even tough the pitch is likely to turn, a run feast could be the order of the day this evening.Both sides are packed with batting, Andover having totted up 165-plus scores in each of the four previous rounds.Lymington are no slouches either with the bat, and will expect Glyn Treagus, Daniel Peacock, Ben Craft and Neil Trestrail to be among the prominent run scorers.With neither club having won the trophy before, a new name will be inscribed on the SEC Cup.Teams:Andover: Jerry Hayward (captain), Ian Langdown, Sam Miller, Roger Miller, Marc Kavanagh, Neil Staddon, Mark Miller, Stuart Clackson, Ali Fleming, Ian Gardner, James Manning.Lymington: Neil Trestrail (captain), Brian Clemow, Glyn Treagus, Daniel Peacock, Ben Craft, Ian Young, Dave Griffiths, Paul Allen, Trevor Phillips, Wayne Smith, Jason Carr, Christian Pain.Route to the finalRound 1 – Andover 160-5 (Langdown 69, 51, Williams 4-44) Hook & Newnham Basics 138-9 (Kaminski 64, Langdown 5-41) Andover won by 22 runsOld Tauntonians & Romsey 75 (Treagus 4-17, Smith 3-21) Lymington 77-1 (Clemow 38, Peacock 27) Lymington won by 9 wicketsRound 2 – Andover 199-3 (Langdown 69, Staddon 51, S Miller 35) South Wilts 138 (Rowe 61, M Hooper 3-31) Andover won by 61 runsPaultons 135 (Park 47, Smith 3-9, Treagus 3-31) Lymington 139-2 (Craft 63, Peacock 53) Lymington won by 8 wicketsRound 3 – Andover 168-6 (S Miller 61, Kavanagh 42, Staddon 42) Flamingos 166 (Manthorpe 49, Merkel 35, Brewster 32, S Miller 3-31, Langdown 3-46) Andover won by 2 runsLymington 141-9 (Peacock 42) BAT Sports 130-8 (Kenway 53, Treagus 3-26) Lymington won by 11 runsSemi-finals – Andover 176-6 (Kavanagh 65, Hayward 33, Loat 3-30) Havant 161-6 (Hindley 60, Gillies 46) Andover won by 15 runsRowledge 103-9 (Phillips 4-20) Lymington 105-0 (Treagus 53, Peacock 44) Lymington won by 10 wickets
Manchester United have now opened talks to sign an “unbelievable” midfielder, who Ruben Amorim has been pushing INEOS to sign.
Man Utd eyeing new midfielder amid Mainoo controversy
Kobbie Mainoo’s brother, Jordan Mainoo-Hames, has sparked controversy after wearing a ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ to Man United’s 4-4 draw against AFC Bournemouth, with talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham slamming the former Love Island contestant.
Durham said: “Can you imagine his brother doing that when Fergie was in charge? Fergie would have had Kobbie Mainoo out of the club by the next morning.
“It was an utterly insane thing for him to do, it’s selfish for him to do that, the brother. It’s totally about him getting attention, it doesn’t help Kobbie Mainoo, it doesn’t help Manchester United.”
The midfielder has already been struggling for game time this season, with his only start coming in the EFL Cup defeat against Grimsby Town, and it remains to be seen what effect his brother’s stunt has on his future.
With Mainoo’s future in doubt heading into the January transfer window, amid interest from Everton, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, the Red Devils have now stepped up their pursuit of a new midfielder.
That is according to a report from TEAMtalk, which reveals Man United have opened talks over a deal for Al-Hilal’s Ruben Neves, with the Saudi Pro League side now ready to sell the midfielder in the January transfer window.
Al-Hilal have been unable to agree terms on a new contract with the Portuguese maestro, and given that his current deal is set to expire at the end of the season, a return to Europe is on the cards next month.
Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have also held talks over a deal for the central midfielder, so there could be competition for his signature, but Amorim will be hoping United can win the race, having personally been pushing to sign him.
"Unbelievable" Neves impressing in Saudi Arabia
It is no wonder Al-Hilal were keen to extend the 63-time Portugal international’s contract, given that he has impressed from an attacking point of view this season, recording five goals and one assist in five matches in all competitions.
Subscribe for sharper Man United transfer analysis Gain insider context: subscribe to the newsletter for expert breakdowns, market context and deal analysis focused on Man United midfield moves, helping you understand potential signings like Ruben Neves and squad shifts around Mainoo. Subscribe for sharper Man United transfer analysis Gain insider context: subscribe to the newsletter for expert breakdowns, market context and deal analysis focused on Man United midfield moves, helping you understand potential signings like Ruben Neves and squad shifts around Mainoo.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Journalist Raj Chohan also waxed lyrical about the former Wolverhampton Wanderers man during his previous stint in the Premier League, suggesting he has the ability to play for a top club.
It is unclear what sort of fee Al-Hilal are looking to receive for the 28-year-old, but with his contract due to expire in the summer, they aren’t exactly in a strong negotiating position.
As such, Man United should try their luck in the January transfer window, particularly if Mainoo leaves, amid widespread interest in the 19-year-old.
Allen Stanford, the Texan billionaire who has proposed a US$20 million winner-takes-all contest between England and a West Indies XI, could be prepared to bankroll an English version of the Indian Premier League, but only if the England & Wales Cricket Board can guarantee him a return on his investment.Stanford has been in talks with the ECB all week, because he believes that, if done properly, a proposed English Premier League offers the only realistic rival to India’s riches. He told The Times on Wednesday that he already had a group of investors lined up to get involved if the notion can get off the ground.There are plenty of hurdles to overcome before Stanford’s wishes can be granted, however, not least the likely opposition from the first-class counties who might fear being marginalised in such a deal. “The ECB are conservative,” Stanford told The Times. “”They realise they’re at a crossroads. They either let the Indians do it or they step up and get a game plan.”The ECB, for my estimation, need to be the driver,” said Stanford. “The organisation here is better, the management is better, the structure is better. It’s inevitable that the ECB will create a Twenty20 league, it’s inevitable that it will involve the private sector and it’s inevitable that the game will evolve.”Stanford said that he was willing to be a “big supporter” of English cricket, but warned that the players, fans and administrators shouldn’t just look at him as a benevolent uncle of the game. “There’s two types of investor,” he said. “There’s the philanthropists, who don’t exist. The others look at the return. If I do anything outside the West Indies, I want to see what kind of return I get.”Julian Hunte and Donald Peters, the president and chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), have also been in London for discussions that have been described by all parties as “very productive”, although the ECB have not commented on the possibility of creating the EPL.
South Africa take the field for the first time since their World Cupsemi-final drubbing, at the hands of Australia, in the laid-backsurroundings of Stormont on Sunday. On paper the match against adepleted Ireland side is the ideal way to ease into their shortone-day tour of the Emerald Isle, but they would be well advised nottake anything for granted.The two sides met twice in the Caribbean. The game that mattered – inthe Super Eights – comfortably went South Africa’s way with aseven-wicket victory but, a few weeks earlier, they’d been jolted intolife during their opening warm-up match in Trinidad as Ireland reducedthem to 91 for 8.South Africa recovered to win that match but for their first outing inmore than two months, with cool, overcast conditions, in unfamiliarsurroundings, they will have to be on their guard. One advantage forthem is that key players have tasted recent action. Andrew Hall, CharlLangeveldt and Andre Nel have been playing county cricket while MarkBoucher, AB de Villiers and Justin Kemp were involved in the Afro-AsiaCup.However, there is a potential problem on the horizon with Boucher andNel both suffering flu-like symptoms. They are on medication and aCricket South Africa spokesman said they were hopeful of playing, butit may lead Mickey Arthur into having to try a few of the five new (orrecalled) faces in the squad.If Boucher doesn’t recover Morne van Wyk would take the wicketkeepinggloves. His only previous one-day international was in the 2003Natwest Series final against England, at Lord’s, when South Africawere thrashed by seven wickets. The absence of Nel wouldn’t be felttoo strongly, as the squad is packed with seam options, and a possibledebut is on the cards for allrounder Vernon Philander along with aone-day return for Dale Steyn following his outstanding form forWarwickshire.The other interesting bowling option for the South Africans toconsider is the offspin of Thandi Tshabalala. Although conditions atStormont wouldn’t initially cry out in favour of the spinners, PiyushChawla was very effective against Ireland. For teams brought up on adiet of medium pace seam and swing having a slow-bowling optionprovides a different test.Ireland will want to put in an improved display after their nine-wicket defeat against India. Trent Johnston thought his side had put a decent total on the board but were let down by some loose bowling. The South African batting order is going to be another stiff challenge for his young attack.After their final training session the South Africans opted not tocome down to the Civil Service Ground and give their opponents theonce over. Instead, they headed off to watch the Springboks take onthe All Blacks in the Tri-Nations rugby. The cricket team’s task onSunday should be much easier.South Africa (from) Jacques Kallis (capt), Mark Boucher, AB deVilliers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Justin Kemp, CharlLangeveldt, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn,Thandi Tshabalala, Morne van WykIreland (from) Trent Johnston (capt), Kenny Carroll, Alex Cusack, Thinus Fourie, Dominick Joyce, Gary Kidd, Kyle McCallan, Kevin O’ Brien, Niall O’ Brien, William Porterfield, Roger Whelan, Andrew White,Gary Wilson
Of the many factors that went into making the all-conquering West Indies team of the ’70s and ’80s, the contribution made by the support staff is often a mere footnote. Yet, speak to the players of that era and they will invariably mention the effect that Dennis Waight, the physical trainer, and Dr Rudi Webster, the sports psychologist, had on them. Waight played a part in ensuring that the side was supremely fit; Webster helped them win the mental battles, making them the ruthless force that they eventually became.Viv Richards confirms the same in his autobiography, adding bits about how beneficial Webster was to his improvement. Richards speaks about his second international tour, one that was a hard initiation in the battlefields of Australia. “I had problems early on and scored 0, 12 and 12 in my first three innings,” Richards wrote. “It created some doubts in my own mind as to my own abilities at this rarefied level; in fact, it was panic stations.”That’s when the Webster effect came into play. “We [Webster and Richards] discovered through discussions that I wasn’t concentrating the way I should have been when I reached a certain stage of my innings. Then it was a question of discussing how I could do so and taking it on to another level, going forward step by step.” Richards did take it to the next level – getting 30, 101, 50 and 98 in his next four knocks – and it was particularly satisfying because it was made against the fearsome duo of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson.Two weeks may be a short time but the Indians will be hoping to gain as much as they can. They’ve had a chance to interact with Webster since May 25th and Greg Chappell briefly outlined the reasons for roping him in. “Dr. Webster is someone I’ve known for a long time,” he said after the first day of the warm-up game. “In my opinion, he’s one of the two best sports psychologists that I’ve experienced in all my years of playing [the other being Brisbane-based Phil Jouncey, who helps the Australian side once in a while].”He lives in Grenada, which is close by, and I thought it was a great chance to expose the players to him,” Chappell continued. “He’s been working one-on-one with the players and will continue to do so till Friday. He’s had a couple of sessions with the group. He’s very knowledgeable on West Indian cricket and on the conditions in the region. He’s too good a resource to let pass by and we approached the BCCI a few months back about using his services when we were here.”But have the results been forthcoming? “I think it is very beneficial,” Chappell added, “a number of the players have commented that they’ve found it helpful. The players are hearing the coach and the coaching staff all the time and we may or may not be saying what Dr. Webster is saying but coming from a different perspective, different voice would help the players. Sehwag spoke to Dr. Webster before the second game at Trinidad and I thought there were distinct signs that it was beneficial.”Chappell and the rest of the side will be hoping that Webster, or for that matter, anyone, can help Irfan Pathan rediscover his groove. “Pathan is struggling for confidence at the moment,” Chappell said after the Antigua batsmen had taken serious toll on Pathan. “He’s probably been trying a bit too hard, maybe he’s looking for pace. These are things you do when things are not going well. It’s important that he does the things that worked for him. On these wickets, you really don’t have any margin for error, you can’t afford to be too full or too short. You need to hit the right areas.”
The sight of Andrew Flintoff giving Andrew Symonds a huge bear hug andhigh-fiveing him as a batsman walks back to the pavilion is not somethingyou would have expected in this Ashes summer. For the past month they havebeen fiercely trying to outdo each other on the field. Today they wereteam-mates as Symonds made his Lancashire debut and turned in a matchwinning performance to send his new team into the semi-finals of the C>rophy with a 35-run win against Sussex.A century, two wickets, four catches and a run-out is not a bad way tomark your first game and, for the 6000-strong crowd at Old Trafford,Symonds was immediately a Lancastrian. His hundred guided Lancashire to adefendable 249 for 8 – although they should have got more – before his twowickets removed Chris Adams and Murray Goodwin, Sussex’s two key batsmen,and the three catches, all off Flintoff, sealed the match.”It was pretty much the perfect day,” said Symonds. “The pitch was thesort of surface where we said we just had to hang in there and try and geta wicket and it would be very hard for the new player coming in. We bowledsome really tight overs through the middle and created pressure.”Although the final victory margin has a comfortable feel to it, as ChrisAdams and Matt Prior were adding 95 for Sussex’s second wicket anotherquarter-final defeat – following last season’s loss to Yorkshire – waslooming on the horizon. But Symonds was looming larger.Mark Chilton, the Lancashire captain, had held his spinners back but theyhad an immediate effect when he tossed them the ball. Gary Keedy had Priorcaught at deep midwicket (112 for 2) for a 58-ball 59 before Symondsshowed that he was not content with only a century on his debut.Adams was comprehensively bowled playing back (120 for 3) and each wicketpushed the asking rate higher. Murray Goodwin managed one towering six offSymonds but perished to a stunning return catch – similar to the one hetook off Mohammed Ashraful in the one-day international at Old Trafford(160 for 4). As the pressure increased Flintoff helped himself – thanksto Symonds’s safe hands – to three wickets as Sussex swung helplessly.There was nothing Symonds couldn’t do. When he came to the creaseLancashire’s innings was in need of some stabilising following the loss ofStuart Law and Mal Loye. After Symonds and Marcus North (also making hisLancashire debut) had had a quick chat in the middle – as much tointroduce themselves as to discuss any tactics – they employed theircontrasting styles to build the significant stand of the innings.North worked the gaps in the field, in a manner not dissimilar to the way his Western Australian team-mate Mike Hussey in the recent ODIs. He scampered between the wickets, while Symonds bludgeoned typically fierce boundaries. Their partnership of 118 in 22overs steered Lancashire to 152 for 2 in the 31st over and, with Flintoffstill to come, 280 was on the cards.However Mushtaq Ahmed and Michael Yardy bowled 20 consecutive overs ofspin and slowly they began to strangle the middle-order, especially whenNorth swung across the line and was bowled by Mushtaq (152 for 3).During the recent one-day internationals all the talk was of theFlintoff-Kevin Pietersen pairing firing together, but it never happened. When Flintoff joined Symonds the expectation was the same – but, alas, so was the outcome. when Flintoff was drawn down the pitch by Mushtaq during a superb spell of legspin (165 for 4).Mushtaq also removed Mark Chilton (179 for 5), but Symonds was still incontrol and reached his century from 116 balls, diving full-length intothe crease to make his ground.While Prior and Adams were reproducing a Symonds-North style partnership,Sussex were working themselves into a position of dominance but, not forthe first time this season, Symonds produced for his team when they needit most. Needless to say, the Man of the Match award was an easy decision.* * * * * *In Birmingham, Nick Knight led the charge with an unbeaten century as Warwickshire romped into the C & G semi-finals after crushing Kent by five wickets. Knight’s unbeaten 112 allowed the home side to coast to their target of 260 with 23 balls to spare. Justin Kemp knocked over the top order with three wickets, but Knight held firm and was joined in his travails by Trevor Penney, who hit 50 not out. An opening stand of 120 between Rob Key and Andrew Hall gave Kent a strong platform, and Matthew Walker added 51 but their total of 259 wasn’t enough on a decent Edgbaston wicket.The fourth semi-final takes place on Saturday, with Yorkshire taking on Northamptonshire at Headingley.
Sourav Ganguly might have landed himself in trouble after terming as”ridiculous” a decision taken by the ICC not to dock overs from the side bowling first if it fails to complete its quota of overs in the stipulated time. The Pakistani bowlers, who conceded 30 runs in wides and no-balls, consumed nearly 20 additional minutes to complete their 50 overs, and Ganguly wasn’t amused to learn that Pakistan’s batsmen would still have 50 overs available to them.”At the break, when I went to the match referee to ask how many overs Pakistan had to get the target in, he said there would be no overs docked,” Ganguly said. “I find that ridiculous. We weren’t told about it in the meeting with the match referee [Ranjan Madugalle] yesterday, but irrespective of [that], I think the rule is totally ridiculous.”When you are in a tight situation, and when winning and not losing is so important, players don’t mind foregoing money. In the ’70s and ’80s, people used to speak of the West Indies’ slow over-rate, that they bowled only 11 or 12 overs an hour. If this persists, I think that situation will return again.”What Ganguly does not realise is that the rule actually changed more than a year ago. It was on April 1, 2003, just after the World Cup, that it came into effect. The ICC Playing Handbook for 2003-04, which most journalists carry, says that in the event of the over-rate being below that required by ICC regulations, the referee shall “impose the following sanction at the end of the match: (i) for each of the first five overs short of the minimum overs required, 5% of each player’s gross match fee in the fielding side; (ii) for the sixth and any subsequent over short of the minimum overs required, 10% of each player’s gross match fee in the fielding side.”Further, if the number of overs short is more than two overs in a one-dayer, the captain will be charged with conduct contrary to the spirit of the game and could be suspended. This was first put in practice in the Sharjah Cup that began on April 3, 2003, just two days after the rule came into force.By questioning a year-old regulation, Ganguly has not only advertised his ignorance of the new regulations, but might also have laid himself open to a charge of breach of conduct.
India’s triumph in the 1983 World Cup gave the subcontinent’s bidto conduct the competition four years later a tremendous fillip,and for the first time, the World Cup – labelled the Reliance Cupafter the new sponsors – was held outside England, when bothIndia and Pakistan jointly hosted the event in October-November1987.Other than the overs per innings being brought down from 60 to 50 it would have been next to impossible to bowl 120 overs a dayon the subcontinent – there was no alteration in the teamsinvolved or the general format. Once again, the eight teams wereplaced in two groups; Group A comprised India, Australia,Zimbabwe and New Zealand, while group B comprised England,Pakistan, West Indies and Sri Lanka.
For a change, India and Pakistan were the joint favourites forthe title, although the chances of England and the West Indiescould not be not ruled out. Group B was obviously the moreintriguing one, with three heavyweights fighting it out in thepreliminary stage, so predictably enough, most of the interestcentered round matches in that group. Close finishes proved to bethe order of the day, and a couple of minor surprises meant thatPakistan and England made the semifinals from the group at theexpense of the West Indies.The pattern was set on the opening day, when Pakistan beat down aspirited challenge from Sri Lanka, winning by just 15 runs. A daylater, England surprised the West Indies by two wickets, thewinning runs being scored with three balls to spare. Pakistandefeated England by 18 runs and then got the better of the WestIndies in a scorcher, the final margin being one wicket and thewinning runs being scampered off the last ball.By now the competition was becoming known as much for its nailbiting finishes as for its impeccable organisation. In the returnround of matches, Pakistan again defeated England to make sure ofa berth in the semifinals, and the battle for second spot now laybetween England and the West Indies. The two-time championsseemed to be clawing their way back with two successive victoriesover Sri Lanka, in the first of which Vivian Richards hammered amajestic unbeaten 181 that surpassed Kapil Dev’s 175 not out asthe highest individual score in a World Cup. But a secondsuccessive loss to England knocked them out of contention, andeven though they beat Pakistan in their final league match handing the co-hosts their first defeat in six games it was nomore than a consolation prize for the West Indies.Things were less hot in the comparatively passive Group A butonly just. Intense competition was lacking for India andAustralia, who as expected were always ahead of New Zealand andZimbabwe. But close finishes were prevalent in this pool too. Infact, the first match between India and Australia at Madrasproduced the closest possible finish, with the latter winning byone run. New Zealand and Zimbabwe then produced another thrillerthe next day at Hyderabad before the former edged past theirgallant opponents by three runs despite a heroic 141 off 138balls by Dave Houghton.A few days later, Australia defeated New Zealand at Indore bythree runs in the only rain-affected match of the tournament.Postponed by a day because of heavy rain, it was curtailed to 30overs a side after captains Allan Border and Jeff Crowe expressedtheir preference for a game rather than sharing the points for ano-result.The rest of the matches went according to the form-book, andIndia, with five straight wins after that narrow loss, took thetop spot, while Australia with a similar record were second. Bothteams had 20 points, but India’s slightly superior rate saw themavoid a semifinal meeting with Pakistan at Lahore. Instead, theytook on England at Bombay, while Australia had to make the tripto Pakistan.At this stage, all seemed set for an IndiaPakistan final clash.India seemed to be peaking just at the right time, whilePakistan, in getting the better of West Indies and England intheir group, had shown themselves to be potential champions. Itwas also the clash that everyone was looking forward to, a realdream final.Such dreams, however, were shattered, for it turned out to be anAustraliaEngland final. Australia set one up for the underdogswhen they shocked Pakistan by 18 runs. The next day, Englandmaintained the trend by upsetting India by 35 runs. It wasunbelievable, but full credit went to both Australia and Englandfor displaying a professional approach against in-form opponentswho may have been a touch complacent.Both matches followed a similar pattern. Australia scored 267 foreight in 50 overs, and Pakistan seemed well-placed at 150 forthree, and with Javed Miandad and Imran Khan going strongly, theyrequired 118 runs off 15 overs. But Craig McDermott then gotamong the wickets, and Pakistan were dismissed for 249 in 49overs, with the tall and well-built pace spearhead finishing withfive for 44.
At Bombay, Graham Gooch led the way with a stroke-filled 115 asEngland scored 254 for six in 50 overs. At 204 for five, and with10 overs in hand, India had things well under control, for therequired rate was only five an over. But irresponsible battingcaused a sudden and shattering debacle that saw India bundled outfor 219 in 45.3 overs.The final at Calcutta evoked comparatively lukewarm interest inthe subcontinent, although 93,000 spectators were present at theEden Gardens. Though the final victory margin was only sevenruns, the match was not that close, for Australia always seemedto have things under control from the time they led off with 253for five in 50 overs. David Boon top-scored with 75, enough toget him the Man of the Match award.England had the benefit of sizeable contributions from most oftheir top-order batsmen, but tight bowling and brilliant fieldingsaw to it that they were always behind on the run-rate.Ultimately they fell agonisingly short, finishing at 246 foreight in 50 overs. Australia, then in the midst of a rebuildingprocess and given little chance of winning the title, ended updeserving champions.